I haven't had any serious cravings for months, except for right around that 90 day mark...and that lasted off and on all day....till I got myself a reward...well, rewards....creamsicles, fudgisicles, and sorbet...lol In the beginning, maybe the first two-three weeks, until I had identified a lot of the triggers, I would have cravings that lasted about 5 minutes. Once in a while those 5 minute cravings would repeat for about 30-60 minutes...kind of like labor pains. Now, I just have thoughts or urges. When I cut my chantix dose to below 1 mg. a day, they increased in frequency and intensity, but now they have leveled off again. And I'm always aware that I won't act on them by smoking. Actually, I have never once thought that I would smoke in response to a craving, urge, or thought. I just sure wanted to at times. -aloha

Exactly right LL. And what I had done in the past was give in to the "You can have just one or two, and then you can quit again" I did that enough times to learn the lesson the hard way, ONE IS NEVER ONE, ONE IS DONE! :) [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]3/5/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 123 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 3,075 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1,297.65 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 15 [B]Hrs:[/B] 2 [B]Mins:[/B] 16 [B]Seconds:[/B] 17

Wow, Lamplighter, that is so bang on. That is exactly what it's like. I am still at the point of thinking of the junkie as separate from myself but of course I know it's me. I'm just not ready to admit that yet. I would rather admit that I hear voices! Getting there, to where I can say, "the junkie is me" will be a big deal for me & I'll certainly be back to tell everyone! Cause, you know, I've ben so shy so far! Thanks for another thought-provoking, uplifting post! [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]5/13/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 54 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,080 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $594.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 5 [B]Hrs:[/B] 11 [B]Mins:[/B] 15 [B]Seconds:[/B] 10

Straightflop, in my first few weeks or so... the cravings were intense... and they came fast and furious. It was like there was a voice SCREAMING at me in my head, "Get a cigarette, RIGHT NOW!! Smoke it, RIGHT NOW!! Don't play this game! You're a smoker, so smoke!!" The voice was confident and demanding. And I didn't argue with it. I just ignored it. I smiled and ignored it. I knew I wouldn't smoke and I knew the voice would change. And it did. Toward the second month... the voice was louder, but no longer confident. It was desperate. It was pleading with me, "Smoke... you can't mean this? You can't live without smoking? You'll suffer... you'll lose something that you need, something that's always been a part of you... something that makes every day...normal!" But I continued to ignore it. I knew the voice... the addict... was losing his grip on my life, my thoughts, my feelings... By the end of the second month the urgency in that voice was gone. It was more like the addict had decided that brow-beating me wasn't going to work... and that he would just wait me out. So since then... he has stood in the corner of the room, waiting... He hardly ever says anything. He just waits. He looks at me and waits for me to say, "You're right. I can stay away from smoking, and I can function alright... but I'll never really be happy without you. I'm going to have a cigarette, because I'd rather be comfortable and miserable... then have to live in this purgatory forever." But, you know what? There is no other voice in my head... and there is no addict in the room... except me. It's my voice, and I'm the addict. I've lied to myself all these years about how much I need the cigarettes, about what my life would be like without them... and a part of me is still doing it. But with every day that I live smoke-free... the reality of that becomes greater and greater, the truth becomes clearer and clearer. I know that, in time, I will be as convinced, living in the truth... as I once was living in the lie. Things are better now than they were in the beginning, but it's still tough sometimes. And what makes it tough is that progress is slow. I can see it looking back, but the difference between yesterday and today... is very marginal. And I want what the cigs gave me; I want instant satisfaction... as illusory as that was. I don't want this to take months, or years. I want it now. But, I've chosen to do this on life's terms instead of my terms. I've chosen to grow up and adjust to the way things really are. I know this doesn't really answer your question, but I decided to share some of my experience with you anyway... in the hope that it might give you some perspective. You're doing great, Straightflop! Keep doing what you're doing! [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]3/6/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 122 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 3,050 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $1,128.50 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 19 [B]Hrs:[/B] 16 [B]Mins:[/B] 40 [B]Seconds:[/B] 47

Grandma, Hang on! Don't give up!!! It's completely normal to have cravings where you are in the quit. There seems to be something around the 3 month - 100 day mark that hits virtually every single quitter with few exceptions. This may last a while, but just know that this really does seem to be the Nicodemon's last stand. After you get over this big hurdle, the craves seem to go away more and come back less frequently. The fact that you say you didn't get cravings this late in the game last time you quit may possibly be your mind playing tricks on you. I know that for me at least, I don't always remember how long the bad really lasts unless I have it documented somewhere so I can see what I was really feeling. Our minds tend to forget the bad and remember the good (which is why a lot of people have a hard time quitting smoking... they remember the "good" cigarettes and forget the cough, smell, cost, rattle in the chest, etc...). But each quit is different, so just remember to hang on to this one because you do NOT want to go through this again!!! Congratulations on 3 awesome months!!! Now go out and reward yourself for all of your hard work! You deserve a HUGE reward for 3 months of freedom! Crave the Quit! [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]6/17/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 749 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 18,725 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $3,093.37 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 52 [B]Hrs:[/B] 20 [B]Mins:[/B] 17 [B]Seconds:[/B] 26

Hard to say because I'm still on the patch. I would say I get more thoughts & associations than actual craves right now & they last as long as it takes for me to identify the trigger & then tell the junkie in my head that I'm in charge now & I will handle the situation. Sometimes it's as simple as just shaking my head & saying how silly it is that I would think about smoking when I don't smoke. Sometimes there are tears & sometimes things get thrown. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]5/13/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 54 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 1,080 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $594.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 5 [B]Hrs:[/B] 10 [B]Mins:[/B] 54 [B]Seconds:[/B] 41

Why I still have cravings after this long I just don't get. It makes me so mad. When I quit last year this didn't happen. I'm just reading on here and I get this urge to go to the store even checked how much money I had. had to clean windows to get mind off it. Yesterday was 108 maybe heat fried my brain. Interesting thread and so timely for me. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]4/7/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 90 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 720 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $180.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 13 [B]Hrs:[/B] 4 [B]Mins:[/B] 33 [B]Seconds:[/B] 17

Straightflop, I am like you I don't know at this point if they are craving or just thoughts, are very much alike at times, some days it seems like they are there all day every min., aren't but just a hard day) other times may only happen 10 times in one day. for me was alot easier when I was on the patch then now, but I will journey on and one day will be like Butterfly S, and oh for that day to come WOW! hugs and prayers, Bobbi [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]3/27/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 101 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 3,030 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $252.50 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 14 [B]Hrs:[/B] 20 [B]Mins:[/B] 2 [B]Seconds:[/B] 22

Straightflop, Ok heres mine so far. Shortest : a couple of seconds (about 30 - so it is more of a thought) Longest : 1 hour ( aka a megacrave) Average : 15 mins But I did smoke a heck of a lot, so expected. [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]7/1/2007 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 5 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 125 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] �21.00 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 0 [B]Hrs:[/B] 16 [B]Mins:[/B] 13 [B]Seconds:[/B] 52

I don't get cravings anymore. I get the occasional smoking thought where I might think "it'd be nice to have a cigarette" and as soon as the thought is complete, the thought is gone and doesn't return... so about 5 seconds at the most. Even those don't happen very often anymore though. Pretty much, the only time I think about smoking in any context at all is when I'm on this site... and that's not a desire to smoke... it's more focused on the quit process than anything else. I really don't think about smoking anymore. When I first quit, it wasn't how long each craving lasted that was the problem, but rather the frequency at which they would return. Each individual craving might only last for a minute or two, but a couple minutes after it ended, another one would start and it would be constant for a while... but it hasn't been like THAT in well over a year and a half. Crave the Quit! [B]My Milage:[/B] [B]My Quit Date: [/B]6/17/2005 [B]Smoke-Free Days:[/B] 749 [B]Cigarettes Not Smoked:[/B] 18,725 [B]Amount Saved:[/B] $3,093.37 [B]Life Gained:[/B] [B]Days:[/B] 52 [B]Hrs:[/B] 20 [B]Mins:[/B] 0 [B]Seconds:[/B] 47